


Candy Box

by Verathin



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hidekane Week 2017, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verathin/pseuds/Verathin
Summary: 'Cause you know... the theme is sweets? So, candy? I don't know. Enjoy this pointless fluff.





	1. Honey

There were days in the summer when he didn’t feel like doing anything. Days when the air was thick and stagnant, and every movement felt like wading through honey. Left to his own devices, he would probably end up melting into a puddle on the floor. Fortunately for him, it was on days like these that Hide took it upon himself to invite himself over and act as a distraction from the heat.

“Here, you should at least crack a window open or something,” he said. “The fresh air will help.”

Kaneki groaned and rolled over, limbs out in spread-eagle position. “Too much effort,” he complained. Hide raised an eyebrow, sitting down cross-legged beside him.

“So what, you’d rather get heat stroke?” he asked, poking his side. Kaneki curled up defensively and made a dissatisfied noise in the back of his throat.

“Nnn. Yes.” He could feel himself sinking into the carpet, his speech becoming slurred as even his thoughts dissolved into sugary syrup. For the life of him he couldn’t understand how Hide managed to function in this heat.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep on me now.” But what else was he supposed to do? It was too hot to move, to think, to breathe. If he could sleep he wouldn’t have to do any of those things. Well, he would have to breathe, but his body would take care of that on its own. Probably.

Hide looked at him amusedly before shrugging and lying down next to him. Kaneki tilted his head at him in question.

“What? It’s not like you’re gonna get up even if I tell you to, so I figured I’d join you down here instead. Is that a problem?”

Kaneki shrugged, looking away. Hide’s proximity was creating a conflict in his head between wanting to get closer and it being way too hot for any sort of physical contact.

As if sensing his dilemma, Hide reached out and took his hand. “It really is pretty hot, isn’t it?” he said with a grin. “I heard it’s supposed to cool down this evening though.” He raised his eyebrows knowingly and Kaneki smacked him on the arm. They let the touch linger for just a second longer than was strictly necessary before it slid away as if it had never happened.

“Sleep,” mumbled Kaneki, letting his eyes slip closed. He heard Hide laugh- more of a breath than an actual sound- and felt him adjust his grip on his hand. When they woke up, the temperature would have gone down and they could be as close as they wanted. Or maybe they would melt together into a pool of honey, drowned in each other’s bodies.

_Maybe… that wouldn’t be so bad either._


	2. Caramel

_“Why do you think it’s called burnt sugar?”_

_“Isn’t that obvious? Because that’s how you make it.”_

_“Yeah, but ‘burnt sugar’ sounds like it’d taste nasty. But caramel isn’t gross at all.”_

_“I dunno. I’ve always thought it was sort of poetic- it’s been burned, but it’s actually better for it, you know?”_

_“I guess? If that’s how you wanna see it, then go ahead.”_

* * *

 

Kaneki had never been one for physical affection. It wasn’t that he had anything against it, he just tended to be cautious when it came to initiating contact. Hide knew this, so he was always sure to pause for just a second before touching him, just to make sure it would be okay. Pretty much the only exception to this rule was when he was tired. Without meaning to he’d find himself leaning against Hide for support or pulling on his sleeve to get his attention instead of calling out to him. Hide never told him how adorable he was when he was sleepy, because then he’d become self-conscious and his guard would go up. Suffice it to say that he invited him for a lot of sleepovers.

His whole family knew Kaneki, and they treated him like it was only natural for him to be there. Hide remembered the first time he’d come over, and how surprised he had been at their kindness. They never talked about his life at home, but it hung over them like a heavy shadow. Over the years he got more comfortable with being respected and started opening up a little, which Hide thought counted as progress.

In their last year of Junior High, Kaneki’s family went on vacation for Golden Week but decided it was better that he stay behind. Hide seethed a little when he found out, but he was also glad that the poor boy wouldn’t have to spend a whole week alone in their company. Plus _his_ family wasn’t going anywhere, so they’d have a ton of time to hang out.

“Actually, why don’t you just stay at my house?” he suggested while they were talking about it. “My parents won’t mind.”

Kaneki shook his head. “No way,” he said. “I can’t impose on you for an entire week, that’d just be rude. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“But Kanekiiii,” Hide whined. “It’d be fun! Please? Pretty please?” Kaneki sighed and said he’d think about it. The next day Hide told him he’d gotten his parents’ permission and that now they were expecting him, so he just _had_ to show up or he’d be letting everyone down. By that point they both knew he’d already won, but Kaneki made a show of protesting just a little longer so that he didn’t get a big head about it.

Golden Week finally rolled around and Kaneki found himself on Hide’s doorstep with his sleeping bag and toothbrush. Hide opened the door with an exaggerated bow and ushered him inside. They stopped so that Kaneki could say hello to his parents, then started setting up Kaneki’s stuff in Hide’s room.

“Exiting, isn’t it?” asked Hide, grinning. “Like a sleep away camp.”

“Yeah, except your parents are literally next door,” Kaneki retorted. Hide pouted and flopped onto his bed.

“Spoilsport,” he complained.

“Realist,” Kaneki corrected, sitting down next to him.

“Sure, whatever you wanna call it. But we’re still gonna have a ton of fun and stuff, so it’s a little like summer camp.”

Kaneki turned his head so Hide wouldn’t see him laugh and get offended or worse, tease him about it. They were almost highschoolers, but Hide still acted like such a child. Well, but that was part of the reason being with him was fun. They had to be serious at school, and he couldn’t afford to let his guard down at home, so being with Hide was his chance to relax without worrying about anything. He was pretty sure Hide knew that and acted the way he did on purpose, and he was thankful for that.

“Hmmm? What’s with that smile?” Kaneki looked over to find that Hide had been watching him, a smirk on his face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, carefully schooling his expression into something neutral.

“Yes you do. You were all cute and smiley and stuff.”

This time he had to really try to keep his face from betraying anything. He could feel the blush creeping its way up from his neck and prayed that it would stay there. Judging by Hide’s raised eyebrows, he wasn’t succeeding.

“…Shut up,” he mumbled.

* * *

 

The days passed by quickly, and soon Golden Week was almost over. Most of their time had been spent goofing off, sitting around talking, and staying up late playing video games, all very worthwhile pursuits. In that short amount of time, Kaneki had almost managed to forget that he would have to go- not home, he couldn’t call it that, but he would have to leave. Hide’s family probably sensed this, and made sure to remind him that he was welcome to come over any time he liked.

On the last day, Kaneki regretfully packed up his things and prepared to leave. He stalled, of course, but before long he was standing on Hide’s doorstep saying his goodbyes.

“Make sure you take care of yourself now,” Hide’s mother told him, giving him a hug. “We love you.”

They traded a few more pleasantries and Kaneki was sent on his way. It wasn’t until about thirty seconds later that he noticed Hide was still next to him.

“…Um?” he asked, confused.

“What? I’m walking you home. Is that a problem?”

“Uh… I mean, no, but…” He trailed off, and they walked another minute or two in silence.

“Hey, Kaneki,” said Hide after a while. “Is everything okay? Well, y’know, besides the obvious.”

Kaneki looked at him, trying to decipher the question. “…Yeah, I’m fine,” he said eventually. “I was just a little… surprised, that’s all.”

“Surprised?”

“Yeah.” He scratched at his cheek, not sure how to explain it. “It’s just… nobody’s ever said that to me before. So I was surprised.”

Hide frowned, not sure what he was referring to. An idea was occurring to him, but he really hoped that he was wrong.

“You mean what my mom said?” he asked. “Like… when she said she loved you?” _Please don’t say yes._

“…Yeah,” Kaneki nodded, and Hide’s fears were confirmed. Never? Not even once? In his whole life, he’d never had even a single person tell him they loved him? That was just… horrible.

“I can say it.”

He hadn’t known he was going to say that, and it obviously caught Kaneki off guard. “Um-” he said, attempting to process when Hide himself didn’t even know what he was doing. For a second they both stood there awkwardly, before Hide decided ‘screw it’ and made a decision.

“I can say it,” he repeated. “If you want me to.” He was blushing, he could tell. “I can be the one to tell you I love you.”

And there it was. He waited for a moment as Kaneki’s face slowly bloomed into a bright scarlet. _Ah…_ he thought, worried. _Was that the wrong thing to say?_ He hadn’t meant to, it just sort of came out, but it was the truth and he wasn’t about to pretend otherwise.

“You…” started Kaneki, bringing him back to the present. “Did you mean it?” He looked up, his eyes hopeful but looking as if he were afraid. And why wouldn’t he be? This was pretty much their entire relationship on the line here, not to mention the small sliver of self-esteem he’d managed to hold on to.

And what kind of person would he be if he hurt him any more than he already was?

“I did mean it,” he said, smiling. “I _do_ mean it. You’re important to me, and I love you.” And that was all there was to it. It was just so simple.

Kaneki started crying. Well, not really, but he could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes. It was weird, because he knew he was smiling, but he was also crying. Without a word Hide stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, both of them just standing there and enjoying each other’s presence.

_He’s warm,_ thought Kaneki.

_Almost enough to burn._


	3. Sugar

They had a tradition on weekends: whoever woke up first was in charge of making coffee, and in exchange got to decide what they did that day. It had been Hide’s idea, designed to combat Kaneki’s complete unwillingness to ever get out of bed, ever. The problem wasn’t Hide’s choice of activity, though- most of the time he opted to have them stay home and be lazy together. The real reason Kaneki made an effort to be the first one up was…

This.

“Honestly Hide, what did you even put in this?” He held the mug away from his face, wrinkling his nose at the smell. Hide raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from his own mug without batting an eye.

“It’s just sugar,” he said, looking down at his drink. “Plus some creamer. Oh yeah, that reminds me, we’re out of milk.”

Kaneki sighed. It was too early to be dealing with this. He heard a clink as Hide put down his coffee and came around the counter to rest his chin on his shoulder, yawning slightly as he did.

“Hide,” Kaneki began, but Hide shushed him.

“Hush. Drink it. It’s good for you.”

“This coffee will literally give me diabetes,” he warned, taking a hesitant sip. “Ugh. There’s something wrong with your taste buds.”

“But you love me,” Hide teased. Kaneki looked away and didn’t answer. “Come on, say it. You know you want to…” He went in for a kiss but Kaneki angled his head and brought his mug between them. Hide let out an indignant gasp and threw his head back dramatically, one hand on his forehead.

“I’ve been rejected!” he cried. “My boyfriend doesn’t love me anymore!” Kaneki just wanted to go back to bed.

“I’m not rejecting you,” he said, exasperated but good-humored. “I’m rejecting your terrible coffee-making skills.”

“…Does that mean you still love me?”

“I still love you,” he sighed, laughing a little as Hide cheered and peppered his face with little kisses.

A few hours later they had ended up on the couch, curled up in each other’s arms and only half paying attention to what was on TV. The coffee sat forgotten in the kitchen, where it would probably stay until Hide noticed it later that evening and downed it in one gulp because “Well, there’s no point in wasting it.”

Kaneki let his eyes slip closed, nuzzling his face farther into the crook of Hide’s neck. He smelled like shampoo and cologne, like someplace safe. Kaneki could feel him breathing, and relaxed as the gentle motion lulled him to sleep with the taste of sugar still on his tongue.


	4. Chocolate

There was a balloon in his apartment.

He’d just gotten home from afternoon courses and really just wanted to take a nap or something, but the face full of red plastic threw him off a little. He blinked at it, half expecting that it was a figment of his imagination after too many hours of classwork, but no, it was still there.

“...” He noticed the small box tied to the balloon with a ribbon and held it up. There was a tiny handwritten note attached to it that said ‘open me!’ in messy script. Raising one eyebrow, he did as he was instructed. Inside the box was a single piece of chocolate.

Smiling a little, he let his eyes drift farther into the apartment, where a series of more balloons waited. He put the chocolate in his mouth and began following the trail, opting to ignore the additional boxes attached to each one.

The balloons led him through his living area, down the hall, and to his bedroom door. To be honest, he had a pretty good idea of what lay on the other side, but he opened it anyway.

Someone was sitting on his bed, frantically tying a bundle of balloons together and getting tangled up in the process. Kaneki decided to watch for a while before knocking on the wall to draw attention to the fact that he was there.

“Need any help with that?” he asked. The person with the balloons froze, slowly turning around with a sheepish expression on his face.

“Oh, uh… hi. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Kaneki looked at him skeptically. “This is not why I gave you the key,” he said, sitting down next to him and beginning to undo the mess he’d made. Hide sat still and let him work, knowing full well that any attempts to help would probably end up making things worse. A few minutes passed before Kaneki finally got the last string out of his hair.

“So,” he said, sitting back. “Why balloons?”

Hide shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “I just thought it would be fun. Was I wrong?”

“I mean, I guess that depends on your definition of ‘fun,’ but…” Hide pouted, and Kaneki couldn’t help laughing. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But was there something special about today?” It wasn’t a birthday or anniversary, as far as he could remember. Was he forgetting something?

Hide tilted his head. “Nothing in particular?” he said, sounding more like a question than an answer. “But I had the time, so I figured it might be a nice little surprise. Did you get the chocolates?”

“I only opened one of them.”

“Aww, why?” Hide’s pout returned. “The chocolates were the best part!”

“They were?”

“Of course! Because chocolate is romantic! You read, you should know that.”

“Well, I typically go for horror over romance, so…”

Hide shook his head as if he were disappointed. “Well, now that you’ve ruined my plans, I think you should have to let me take you out on a date tonight.”

“Is that how it works?” asked Kaneki, smirking.

“It is,” Hide confirmed. “Unless…” He grinned, leaning in closer until their noses were touching. “You’d rather go on that date now?” They sat still for a moment, both watching each other and daring the other to be the first to move away.

Kaneki broke first, pulling back and giggling a little. “I would, but you have class in an hour and I’d prefer if we had a little more time than that.”

“Ooh,” said Hide, wiggling his eyebrows. “Exciting.”

Kaneki punched him on the arm, causing him to lose balance momentarily. “Shut up,” he said, standing. “Come help me eat this chocolate you brought.”


	5. Spice

“So, I was thinking.”

Kaneki cringed on reflex. As a general rule, nothing good came after that phrase. Still, he knew that Hide wouldn’t drop it unless he got a reply, so there was no choice but to humor him.

“What is it?” he asked with a sigh.

“We should sneak out.”

Kaneki raised an eyebrow. “We’re adults, Hide. We don’t have to sneak anywhere. And it’s almost midnight, why would you want to go out now?”

“Well. You know how variety is the spice of life and all that? We haven’t gone out in a while anyway, so I figured now was as good a time as any.” He batted his eyelashes and smiled, no doubt trying to be cute. Kaneki gave him a flat stare, unimpressed.

“Oh, come on, don’t be such a spoilsport. We can go stargazing!”

“We’re in the city.”

Hide pouted, giving him his best puppy-dog eyes. Kaneki could feel his resolve wavering, but he wasn’t about to give in quite so easily.

“I’m tired,” he said, turning away. “We can go out tomorrow.”

Really, he should have been more suspicious when Hide accepted that argument without complaint, but his critical thinking had been dulled by the need to sleep. If anyone asked, he would use that as his excuse for agreeing when Hide came back ten minutes later saying, “It’s tomorrow, can we go out now?”

And that’s how he found himself in some forgotten park in the middle of the city at midnight. Hide was obviously enjoying himself, immediately climbing all over the play structure. Kaneki trailed behind uncertainly, trying and failing to shake the feeling of awkwardness.

“Hey, let’s go on the swings,” Hide suggested. Kaneki raised an eyebrow skeptically, but followed him to the swing set, knowing that letting himself be dragged out here in the first place had invalidated any protests he might make.

“Come on, we’ll see who can get the highest!” shouted Hide, pumping his legs.

“I feel like an idiot,” Kaneki muttered, but Hide only laughed at him.

“You just need to embrace your inner child! Here, watch, I’m gonna jump!”

“Hide, don’t, you’ll hurt yourself-” but it was too late. Hide pushed himself off the swing and went flying through the air, landing with a muffled thud in the grass. For a brief moment Kaneki thought his heart would stop, but then Hide flopped over and burst out laughing.

“Man, that was great! You should try it!”

“I’ll pass, thanks,” he said, getting to his feet the normal and safe way. Hide watched him from where he lay in the grass, stretching his arms and indicating that Kaneki should join him. Kaneki was hesitant, but then realized that there was no point in resisting at this point.

“Euh, it’s cold,” he whined as he sat down.

 “That’s the point,” Hide told him, grinning. “We can cuddle.”

Sighing, Kaneki lay down on Hide’s chest, resting his head over his heart. “We could’ve done this at home,” he pointed out, but Hide shushed him.

“It’s more romantic this way,” he said as if it were obvious. Kaneki rolled his eyes, but stopped complaining. He wouldn’t admit it, but he had sort of enjoyed himself. Still…

“I’m never letting you talk me into this again,” he mumbled.

Hide just laughed.


	6. Cinnamon

“Hide, that’s disgusting.” Kaneki wrinkled his nose as he watched Hide pour half a bottle of hot sauce into his coffee.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Hide with a straight face. “It gives it more of a kick.” He downed most of the drink in one go, gasping and fanning his mouth immediately afterward.

“You must have been dropped as a child.” Kaneki turned back to his book, but Hide could tell he was smiling. It had been established long ago that their tastes in just about everything were exactly the opposite: Hide liked spicy food, Kaneki couldn’t handle it. Kaneki read books, Hide preferred the movies. Hide was a morning person, and Kaneki most decidedly wasn’t. It was actually a bit of a joke between them at this point- Kaneki had taken to bringing home the most hideous decorations with the explanation, “Well I hated it, so I figured it would be perfect for you.”

Still, Hide thought, Kaneki didn’t know what he was missing. So he came up with a plan.

“…Hide, what is this?”

Unfortunately, Kaneki was perceptive, so there would have to be a bit of negotiation.

“It’s just coffee,” Hide told him innocently. Kaneki eyed the drink suspiciously, not convinced.

“You did something to it,” he accused. “The color’s not right. Oh god, did you put your stupid hot sauce in this? Hide, that’s nasty! I’m not drinking this.”

“I didn’t put hot sauce in it,” Hide promised. “Just try it.”

Kaneki narrowed his eyes, hesitantly bringing the mug to his lips. To his surprise, it actually tasted pretty good.

“Seriously, what did you put in it?” he asked. Hide smirked, proud of himself.

“It’s cinnamon,” he said. “You need to start learning to like food that actually tastes like something.”

Kaneki frowned at the insult to his tastes, but brushed it off and took another sip of coffee.

“Mmm,” he hummed to himself. “It’s good.”


	7. Vanilla

They were supposed to be doing homework- he was almost certain of that, but Hide’s mouth on his neck was making it more than a little difficult to be entirely sure of anything.

“Hide…” he managed. “Cut it out...”

“Hmm?” Hide raised his eyes but did not move his head. “What’s wrong?”

 _You know what’s wrong,_ Kaneki thought but didn’t say. Hide had always been the more openly affectionate of the two, preferring blatant displays where Kaneki used subtle gestures. There wasn’t really any problem with that, but only because Hide was always careful respect Kaneki’s boundaries when he needed to. He knew that if he asked, Hide would stop whatever he was doing immediately.

He stayed silent.

Hide smirked and resumed kissing his way up his neck.

“You’re horrible,” Kaneki muttered, burying his face in his book. They both knew he was lying. Their relationship hadn’t gotten very far yet in terms of physical intimacy, but that wasn’t to say that they didn’t enjoy what they had. If anything, they enjoyed it a little more than they should- they really should be studying, but Hide was persistent and Kaneki was weak.

Kaneki nuzzled against Hide’s chest, closing his eyes contentedly. _We should get back to work,_ he thought absently, but made no move to act on that notion.

 _Well,_ he told himself.

_Maybe five more minutes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends Hidekane week! I feel like my interpretations of the prompts got looser as the week went by, but you know. It counts. Sort of.


End file.
